ISHA to allow disabled students to compete in meets amid lawsuit

September 11, 2012|By Erin Meyer | Tribune reporter

(Tribune illustration)

With a federal discrimination lawsuit still pending against the Illinois High School Association, its board of directors voted Monday to open the door to some disabled high school athletes at state athletic meets this fall, according to the organization’s website.

The board agreed to allow disabled athletes to qualify for state meets and agreed to add three separate events for those with physical and visual disabilities — girls’ swimming and diving as well as cross country for both boys and girls.

West suburban teen Mary Kate Callahan has urged the IHSA to make the state meets accessible to disabled athletes like herself since last year.

Callahan, who lost the use of her legs to a rare neurological disease, asked the IHSA for the opportunity to swim in last year’s state meet but was denied. With the backing of the Illinois Attorney General’s office she subsequently filed a lawsuit, alleging that the IHSA violated the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Last month, representatives from the IHSA, attorney general’s office, Callahan and her parents met to discuss the possibility of a settlement. But no agreement was reached.

According to a statement on the IHSA website, the changes “signify another important step in the Association offering its inaugural programs for athletes with disabilities this fall.”

It wasn’t clear Monday how the IHSA announcement might impact the lawsuit. The two sides weren’t available for comment.